PRINCESS ANNE, MD-(Oct. 17, 2013) When Dr. Della Dameron-Johnson and her theater troupe returned from a National Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts competition in Baltimore, they came back knowing exactly which piece they wanted to take on for their fall play.

“Miss Evers’ Boys” won first place in a one-act play contest that Dameron-Johnson was moderating.“I was impressed they could condense it into a 60 minute short,” she said.

The university’s adaptation, performed in two acts, is based on the 1992 stage play written by David Feldshuh.A 1997 TV film version for HBO won Emmy Awards in four categories.

The play will be performed by university students and administrators at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 and 2 in the Ella Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts.It tells the real-life drama of poor black men in Tuskegee, Ala., who were part of a secret medical experiment conducted by the federal government.

“Students in the cast are amazed that something like this really happened,” Dameron-Johnson said.“We are revealing a part of history through enactment of a play to an audience for whom many of which may have known nothing about the incident.It shows that sometimes it is wise to question, even if it is the government.”

Tickets are available at the door.General admission tickets are $5; seniors, $4; and students with ID, $2.Opening night will feature a cast and audience forum at the close of curtain.Call 410-651-6575 for more information.